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Siena Luchansky: New PH Navy ship arrives today

The Philippine Navy (PN) said yesterday that its Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations is expected to be boosted with the expected arrival today of its newest ship from Indonesia – the “SSV Davao del Sur (LD602).”

The SSV Davao del Sur departed Surabaya Indonesia at 12 noon last Thursday and is expected to arrive at South Harbor, Manila, any time today, said Navy Spokesman Captain Lued Lincuna.

The Commander of the Philippine Fleet Rear Admiral Gaudencio C. Collado and his party were present during Sail-Away (Send Off) ceremony for the PN’s only second Strategic Sealift Vessel.

Lincuna said the ship has more than 120 crew members on board. “Its (BRP Davao del Sur) arrival, will complement BRP Tarlac. Of course it will impact on our HADR operations considering it’s a very big vessel,” he said.

Its commissioning will be held at the PN Headquarters. “It can (also) accommodate a lot of cargo and a lot of personnel,” Lincuna added.

BRP Tarlac is currently preparing for the Balikatan Exercises which will open today at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

Lincuna said among the significant mission BRP Tarlac conducted is a Naval blockade in the south, particularly to prevent terrorist attack, seajacking, and kidnapping. by Francis Wakefield